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Regina Fawley was a kind hearted, level headed witch, one had to be when somehow, by the injustice of the great Merlin, she was born in the same year as one James Fleamont Potter and his little lackeys.
“YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS POTTER!” she yelled out as she wiped slime off her face, trying to clear her eyes to desperately make sure that the covered cage of Nifflers she was transporting for Professor Kettleburn was still secure.
“SORRY, ABOUT THAT FAWLEY! YOU WERE JUST COLLATERAL!” she heard the devil call out from across the hallway as he and his little posse scuttled away from the crime scene.
Groaning in discontent and disgust she ran her hands through her slime covered hair, trying to pull the dark brown locks out of the way in order to not have it cause more gunk to slip down onto her eyes. A concerned snuffle came from the cage and she smiled down at it, lifting the covered top to peer at the small Nifflers inside. “It's alright guys, just some jerks causing mischief.” and sighed again as despite her best efforts more slime dripped down her face.
“Now what could Lady Fawley have done to earn the ire of such a troublesome group?” a mischievous voice called from behind her as she pulled down the cage cover. Smiling at the voice she turned around to find Noah Macmillan smiled down at her. The 5th year boy in blue accented Ravenclaw robes and neatly combed dirty blonde hair seemed to always be around in her general vicinity, which was kind of impressive considering she was in the year below him and they were in different houses.
Or maybe it wasn’t so weird considering they were engaged.
“I think they were trying to get Snape, or just prayed for a Slytherin,” she grouched at him playfully as he pulled out his Fir wood wand and muttered a soft “Scourgify” under his breath. “Many thanks” she nodded to him and leaned down to pick up the cage of Nifflers.
“They mistook you for a Slytherin?” Noah frowned and raised an eyebrow, following along as she started her walk towards Kettleburn’s classroom “Is Potter really that blind to mistaken green for yellow? Or that you're a girl and you know, Snapes a boy?”
She snorted and tossed a quick look at him as they reached the moving staircase, walking past the ballerina painting she gave a quick smile and was reciprocated with one of her own from the tiny dancer.
“Honestly I was mostly covered by these little guys” she gave a soft smile to the Nifflers she could hear shuffling around in the cage. “So I bet they heard footsteps by themself, looked, saw an indistinguishable lonesome student and decided to go for it, very Gryffindor of them honestly”
“Well I could still report it you know, take some points?” He muttered, tapping his silver prefect badge that was clipped to his robes. “As much as I would love to see you restore my honor from those helions, I think it would make Herbology slightly awkward.” she placated him.
He jogged ahead of her, opening the door to the East wing. “Still, doesn't he fancy himself a fiery redheaded Gryffindor,” he mussed, “and isn’t a certain Lady Fawley best friends with this little spitfire?”
“Yes,” she actually frowned at that, “He keeps swindling up into study sessions with us, Rosier, Fortescue, MacDonald, and McKinnon. We're thinking of moving from the library and hiding out in an abandoned classroom or even a broom closet,” huffing she scrunched her face. “I need more help with potions and I can’t get it if Potter is drawing Lily’s ire,”
“Why don’t you ask Lily to ask Professor Slughorn if you could use the Potion’s classroom after classes? You know, he likes her, she's in the Slug Club after all.” Noah suggested as they walked past a group of 2nd-year Gryffindors trying to cast small enchantments on marbles. “5 points from Gryffindor!” He called out cheerfully and the small group groaned, “No magic in the hallways!”
She shook her head smiling softly as he looked down at her, a mischievous smirk on his face. “That wouldn’t be a bad idea per se," she said, weighing the suggestion in her head. “Well it's a good idea at least because I'm the one who thought of it.” he quipped right back.
Snorting in a very unladylike way, dear Merlin, Grandma Partricia would be mortified, Regina just shook her head. Reaching the large oak doors of the Care for Magical Creatures classroom or the ‘Monster Room’ as some students called it, she called out, “Professor Kettleburn? I have the Nifflers for your 1st year class!”
“Yes, yes, bring them right in Ms. Fawley,” a muffled voice called from within.
“If you would, Noah?” she asked her partner.
“Why of course my’lady,” he gave a silly bow and quickly opened the door wide revealing the classroom within.
The Care for Magical Creatures classroom was large with layered seating in a lecture-like style, a large stage-like structure at the end of the room with a podium and chalkboard on display, with reminders written out on the bottom left hand corner. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows with a large vivarium with flying Billywings flittering this way and that, taking up a large portion of one of the walls, the other supporting lovely tapestries of other magical creatures, connected by softly glowing string lights.
Up upon the rafters the skeleton of a dragon rested, held together by magic and lifted its head to stare down at the two approaching students. Seated at the desk right before the stage a man with slightly graying curly brown hair, impeccable mustache and beard with maroon colored robes and matching hat gave the two of them a gleaming smile.
“Ah, thank you Ms. Fawley, exactly what I needed for my lesson tomorrow morning,” the professor said to them cheerfully, carefully taking the covered cage and quickly checking the condition of the Nifflers. “And you Mr. Macmillan, studying well for your O.W.Ls this year?”
“Yes sir, didn’t become a Prefect for nothing!” he cheerfully exclaimed.
“Ah of course, can’t imagine a Ravenclaw not getting on top of their books, Merlin knows some of the other students should learn from that,” Kettleburn quipped, setting the cage on his desk carefully. “These little guys caused you no trouble I hope,”
“None at all professor,” Regina said to him warmly, “Although a certain group of Gryffindors is another story all together,” she thought, eyebrow twitching slightly.
“Excellent! Of course being heir to the Fawley family I expected nothing less! 5 points to Hufflepuff for your help dear.” Kettleburn called out. “Hey what about me Professor, Ravenclaw helped out a little,” Noah jousted, already starting to walk out of the classroom.
Professor Kettleburn barked a laugh, “Ha! Trickery afoot there Mr. Macmillan, I may have been Ravenclaw back in my day but Ms. Fawley here has made me grow warmer to Hufflepuffs, don’t try to steal their points now,” Noah gave a show of pouting and stomping his foot before smiling and strolling out.
“Bye Professor, see you tomorrow!” Regina called out, waving as she walked alongside her Ravenclaw upperclassmen. “See you tomorrow Ms. Fawley, Mr. Macmillan!” came the responding cheery shout.
As soon as the door shut behind them Regina hit him playfully on the shoulder, “Helping me out? You barely helped, just opened doors, that's the bare minimum you should be doing for any lady,”
He laughed as he jumped away from her swings running off. Yelling in faux outrage she chased after him “Get back here Macmillan! Don’t avoid your punishment!”
“Potter is the worst,” Lily grouched as she slumped down next to Regina in Greenhouse 3, flipping her dark red hair over her shoulder. “Tell me something I don’t know,” she mumbled back, barely looking up from her notebook.
“He keeps bothering Severus, their little feud is just ruining perfectly good days!” Lily continued to rant, turning her head to glare at the affronted man in question on the other side of the greenhouse. Looking up from her notes Regina saw that Potter was currently enchanting some leftover weeds on the table to weave themselves together and create a mustache, yelling out as he tried to pin one on Pettigrew already having successfully gotten Lupin.
“He keeps trying to get Snape with pranks and hitting others in the crossfire,” she whined, shuddering slightly at remembering the coldness of the slime in her hair and robes.
Lily’s head snapped towards her, “Did he hit you?” she hissed, eyes blazing with fury. Regina chuckled nervously, leaning back slightly. “Well no need to go all Chimera, Lily, just some slime,” Lily’s glare deepened and it looked like she was about to go and march right up to Potter and his group.
“It was no big deal really!” she quickly said, dragging her fiery friend back down, “The Nifflers didn’t get hit and Noah cleaned me right up quickly.” Lily blinked at her friend, “Macmillan? One of the Ravenclaw Prefects?”
“A gentleman, that one is,” She supplied to her stunned friend.
“Isn’t that the guy who is somehow always around you?” Lily questioned, then she narrowed her eyes, “Is he stalking you?!” she hissed.
Putting up placating hands Regina laughed slightly at her best friend, “Nothing of the sort, it's only natural we would try to hang out,” then she accidently slipped up and told her her biggest secret, “We are engaged after all.” She quickly slapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide barely registering her notebook falling to the floor.
Silence, and then, “YOUR WHAT?!” Lily screeched, reaching out to grab her so she could furiously shake her back and forth.
Regina watched belatedly as Potter and his gang turned to look at them.
“YOUR ENGAGED?!”
“Yes, yes shout it to the whole school why don’t you,” Regina muttered, cursing her big mouth for spilling her best kept secret.
“Your engaged Fawley?” Lupin asked curiously, batting away Potter as he tried to once again place the weed mustache on his face. “Aren’t you a bit young?”
Black snorted, “She’s actually a bit old if she just got an engagement contract, most traditional pure blood families make up their children’s contracts when they turn 11.”
“Thank you for informing the masses Black” Regina hissed at the other pure blood. “I’m surprised you aren’t getting hands on with your betrothed.”
She watched in satisfaction as Black’s face turned a bright scarlet color. Gathering his words he spat back, “I’m not engaged to anyone, dearest mother of mine didn’t want me to somehow get another way to disgrace the Black name.”
There was an awkward silence after Black's declaration.
“Well any who,” Potter said, trying to get past the awkwardness, “Macmillan, as in Noah Macmillan, as in Ravenclaw Prefect Macmillan.”
Regina gave him a blank stare, “No Potter, I’m talking about little Micheal in first year,” Potter blinked at her owlishly. “Oh course it’s Noah Macmillan!”
“Why do pure blood families make marriage contracts so early?” Lily asked. “I mean, how does something like that get arranged when you're so young? Did you get yours done at 11?”
Regina sighed and turned her back to Potter and his gang. “Traditional pureblood families create betrothal contracts with other purebloods to make sure the lineage of pureblood continues,” she explained to her muggle born friend.
“Most families do it when the child turns 11 because it's an important age for witches and wizards to turn. My family continues their pureblood traditions within the main house and direct cousins, others in the family aren’t held to such strict regard.”
“So they're free?” Potter said, smirking slightly.
Regina narrowed her eyes at him. “These traditions have meaning Potter. These traditions help strengthen natural magical hotspots throughout the world, it’s not just political bureaucracy, there’s deep magical implications as well.”
“So when the snarky purebloods say anything about blood lineage there right?” Lupin asked, tilting his head and sort of looking like a kicked puppy.
“Technically speaking, yes.” She said, at the hurt looks of both muggle born students she quickly kept going. “While purebloods have more connection to the magic around us and are in charge of certain sectors of magical dense areas does not give any witch or wizard the right to be right bigots to anyone, and any witch or wizard can build up a magical lineage or power to match ancient pureblood families. Ancients have just had a head start”
At this she gently placed a hand on top of Lily’s. “If anyone gives you trouble, you let me know. The Fawley’s are quite a good ally to have, no matter how some look down at us because we’re cordial with muggles and muggleborns. They wouldn’t want to make an enemy of the Fawley heir.”
She shifted her gaze over to Lupin. “This goes for you too.”
Lupin blinked at her, surprised, then gave her a wide smile.
“Thanks Fawley.”
“As sweet as this is, I want to hear more about this engagement,” Potter said, leaning in, looking completely done with the previous conversation. But Regina could see the gleam of gratitude in his eyes.
No matter how much bravado Potter, Black, and by some extent Pettigrew had they could not shelter their muggleborn friend from the woes of Wizarding politics. While the Black’s were still a powerful house this Black had little to no control of that power. The Potters too, used to be a more prominent pureblood house before a few generations back slowly started falling out of their traditional duties.
By pledging to protect Lupin she was pledging political backing and protection, the one thing Potter and Black couldn’t give him, and that extra protection meant more to the two friends than they could tell the Fawley heir.
Having the conversation switch so quickly, especially to one about her betrothed, made Regina’s face go bright red.
Watching, Lily giggled and squeezed the hand atop hers in silent gratitude.
Before the boys could continue teasing her, and Merlin forbid Lily join in, Professor Sprout walked in, his bright voice cheerfully telling them all to settle down.
“Maybe,” Regina thought as she reached down to grab her fallen notebook, watching as the boys walked away to their seats. “Potter and his gang aren’t so bad.”
“And that is how I finally started to enjoy your company James,” Regina recalled to the man. James laughed, clapping his hands. He was in a fine tuxedo, looking happier than she had ever seen him. Next to him Lily in a dazzling wedding dress snorted into her Champaign glass.
“Sorry about the slime Gina!” she heard Sirius call out from the groomsman table.
“Not forgiven yet, dog breath!” She shot back playfully, laughter rearing up again.
She turned her attention back to the newly wed couple in front of her.
“Honestly though, James, you really have grown on not just Lils, but me as well. You will always have the House of Fawley on your side,” she toasted, repeating the same promise she made to Lily all those years ago to her new husband.
“Of course this is all conditional to if you keep Lily happy, just know if you two ever come over to me about an argument. Lils is my first.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” James said, smiling softly.
Regina smiled at the two, her best friend and her surprisingly newly acquired one since the middle of Year Four.
“To a promise of everlasting love, family, and life!” She cheered, lifting her wand in the air and casting a quick fireworks spell.
Cheering went up from the guests.
The party continued on throughout the night and Regina found her way back to her husband.
“A wonderful speech my dear,” Noah said to her, standing to push out her chair for her. “Thank you darling,” she said, slipping her wand back into the pocket of her dress.
Noah smiled at her then frowned slightly, pushing his chair towards her. Seeing her face shift into a frown, he slowly sat down in his own chair leaning in, “Something bothers you my dear?”
Her breath hitched slightly and she leaned in as well, the party roaring on around them.
“I am scared,” she confessed. “The war, it’s straining ties between pureblood families around the world.”
She breathed in deeply. “I received the final verdict from father earlier today, the Fawley’s are to remain neutral for the time being, this includes of course the Macmillan and some of the vassal Boot branches in France, courtesy of my grandmother’s lineage of course.”
Noah sucked in a breath, frowning. “But the Order? He-who-must-not-be-named will not stop if the pureblood families do nothing around him. It means the ministry won’t do anything.”
“You don’t think I know this,” she hissed then breathed in deeply. Glancing over to the dancing newly weds she felt tears well up. “I do not know if I have just lied to them, I do not know if I can truly keep my promises.”
Noah gently pulled her into a hug, “Whatever happens we will figure this out together.”
“This is little Harry,” Lily said, sitting up from her hospital bed and gently placing the newborn into the waiting arms of his eager Godmother.
Regina looked down at the baby, cooing softly as she brushed a finger gently across his cheek.
“He's perfect Lils,”
“Oh course he is, he looks just like me,” James joked, eyes gleaming with haply tears.
Noah cuffed out a soft laugh, leaning in behind her to look down at their nephew in all but blood.
“So you’ll go into hiding for a while?” Noah asked, glancing up as Regina continued to coo at baby Harry.
“That’s right,” James nodded, wiping his eyes, placing a soft hand on Lily’s shoulder.
“Minimum a year, probably more, we need to make sure Harry is safe.”
Everyone in the room other than Harry, who was a baby, and therefore couldn’t read the newspaper, grimaced. Recalling the reports of children getting caught in the crossfire of battles and home raids brought a shiver down all their spines.
“We’ve chosen Sirius to be our Secret Keeper,” Lily said after a moment. “We would have chosen you Gina, just,”
“I understand,” she said softly, lips pursed. She was the up and coming heir to the Ancient and Royal Fawley House and while it granted her a lot of power others could only dream of it also cost her a lot.
“I already have a big enough target on my back as a pureblood heir, if someone found out I was a Secret Keeper it would only add unnecessary targets.”
“Always the smart one Gina, I’m always surprised the Sorting Hat didn’t put you in Ravenclaw.” James quipped.
Noah snorted and Regina rolled her eyes.
A nurse poked her head in at the moment, “Sorry to disrupt but visiting hours is over in the next 5 minutes” she said before ducking out, probably to go tell another group the same warning.
“Welp, that’s our cue,” Noah said as Regina carefully handed over Harry to James.
“Now you be good to your papa and mama,” she whispered to the little baby.
“Let’s pray to Merlin he listens to his wise godmother,” Lily teased, looking tired already.
Regina laughed and went in for a quick hug. “Good job Lils, you're going to be such a good mum.”
As they pulled out of the hug she saw Lily give her a smile, eyes wetting.
“Thank you, for everything Gina, I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”
“ Of course Lils, I’ll always be here for you”
“I’ll always be there for you.” That would be a line that would haunt her for the rest of her life. All the broken promises she had said to them swimming around in her head.
“You will always have the House of Fawley on your side.”
“You will live a life of love, and happiness.”
And now, the promise she wished she could grab fast and make sure she would keep was slipping through her fingers.
“What do you mean Harry is gone?!” She screeched, turning to Dumbledore.
She knew she looked a mess. Oh if her late mother could see her now she would have thrown a fit. Her hair was a bird's nest, she skin a clay pale and her night gown askew.
Jumpy, her personal house elf skewed, “Mistress should not be so stressed, it’s not good for that baby,”
She took a deep breath in and placed her hand on her barely protruding stomach, the baby inside only a few weeks old. She hadn’t had a chance to tell the Potters yet.
“I am Harry’s Godmother,” she hissed, glaring at her old Headmaster. “It is within my right not only by law but as Lily’s best friend to take Harry in.”
She lowered her head “especially since his Godfather was the one to put him in this situation.” She croaked out, tears springing into her eyes.
Oh how she wished Noah was here with her, to be the steady rock he had grown to be over the years. But he was out at the moment preparing the funerals for her mother who had died in a skirmish in the past week.
“And now Lily and James are gone”
Jumpy sniffed and snapped her fingers, a fresh cup of steaming ginger tea appearing on the table next to her.
“Mistress should drink, to help calm the nerves.”
She took the cup and drank a sip, giving a thankful nod to her loyal house elf.
“It must be this way young Fawley,” Dumbledore said, a sad look on his face as he looked at the shadow of the bright student he had known not only a handful of years ago.
“With young Harry being the one to end Voldemort” She flinched at the name, tea spilling slightly over the edge of the shaking cup. “An Ancient and Royal household taking him in, especially one that stayed neutral during the war, would send the wrong message to the people”
Regina hated that the old man was making sense.
She cried, big tears falling as she struggled to breath. Jumpy gasped, nervously twitching, “I go get Master Noah for you Mistress!” And she quickly apparates away, going to find the man.
Dumbledore shifted and walked over to her, crouching and pulling her into a hug. “I am truly sorry my dear,”
She sobbed harder into his shoulder, “I failed them, I failed all of them! Not just Lily, not just James, but little Harry as well!”
Her head hurt, her heart ached, her magic fluctuated in rhythm with her anguish.
“I promised to always be there to protect you and the only thing I did was stand on the sidelines, helping to protect my family. Why couldn’t I protect you too?”
Regina stared down at the little figure in her arms. Bright Hazel eyes with flecks of gold stared back at her, an exact replica of her fathers. The tuft of dark brown hair on the top of her little head was all hers though.
“Hello my little flower,” she whispered to the baby girl, holding her close. She soaked in every inch of her face. The button nose was hers, the cheeks her father, as well as her lips. Her eyebrows came from her. The soft freckles came from her father.
As she was engrossed with looking over her bay her midwife was busy cleaning the bed and surrounding area.
“You know I’m me! Pandora we were in the same house! I was your Prefect and mentor for Merlin’s sake!” A muffled yell came from the other side of the closed bedroom doors.
Regina smiled. “Dora! Let him in for goodness sake,” she looked down at the little bundle in her arms, “He is the father after all.”
Pandora sighed, “You never let me have any fun.” Her silver blonde hair was tied back in an intricate braid and her robes were flowy and soft, carefully draping over her own heavily pregnant stomach.
Magically unlocking the door Pandora gracefully stepped to the side as Noah rushed past her to the bed.
“Are you alright?” He asked kneeling at her side, gently cupping her face, “you are a little pale”
“Well I think it’s alright to turn a little pale when you push out a whole human being.” She quipped back, mirth dancing in her eyes.
“Oh Gina,” he whispered, "She's absolutely perfect.”
“She is, isn’t she.” She smiled up at him.
“So what are you naming the little niffler?” Pandora asked her, waddling over to stand next to the couple, peering down at the baby.
She was silent for a moment then answered, voice a little shaky.
“Lillian, her name is Lillian Fawley, father will pick her middle name, as per tradition.”
Noah and Pandora sucked in a breath and Noah actually did start shedding tears. “Lillian? Named after,”
“After Lily, yes,” she confirmed. She looked down at the little bundle of joy in her arms and watched as little Lilian let out a yawn, looking dolefully up at her mother.
“Lily, for a friend I could not save, and the an from Evan, so that this little girl could have the ending Lily always deserved.” She leaned in close, bringing her daughter up to her face and whispering a promise into her forehead.
“I will make sure you get the happy ending I promised Lily, to give you a life I couldn’t give little Harry. I will never break a promise to you."